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| College acceptance in today’s economy |
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By Alicia DeLeon-Torres After completing her general education classes at Grossmont Community College, Stephanie P. applied for and was accepted to California State University at Fullerton. Within four months of her acceptance, she received a second letter stating they were revoking her acceptance due to deep cuts in the university’s budget; they would not be able to accept and support the amount of the students they had originally had thought. Stephanie received the letter after she had already met with her Cal State Fullerton campus advisor to develop her two year coursework for graduation. She was devastated. Luckily, she had applied to and was accepted to other California based universities, including California State University at Northridge – where she’ll be attending in Fall 2010. Stephanie is not alone. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s revised 2010-2011 State budget proposes the retention of $366 million for the California State University (CSU) system, which was cut in the previous fiscal year. It is unknown as to how much of the proposed amount will actually be approved by the State legislature. Sadly, CSU is already reeling from several years of deep budget cuts. Since 2007, more than 5,000 classes have been cut from university schedules; however, student fees increased by 45%. One student (wishes to remain anonymous) at San Diego State University shared, “I came into SDSU with a focus on printmaking (textiles). The department axed the focus in my senior year because of budget cuts so I chose another focus in the department. Now I’m told the department is being cut in half due to the budget crisis and the classes I need to complete my current focus may no longer be offered. I was supposed to graduate. Now I don’t know.” Unfortunately, California’s other public university and college systems are also in crisis mode. UC San Francisco’s initial plan to cut $28 million from their budget has been raised to $40 million. Other UC’s are undergoing similar massive cuts. Community colleges are no longer the “fail safe” for those wishing to go to college. On June 3, 2010 - California Community College Chancellor John Scott announced that, due to the State’s budget woes, more than 140,000 students would not be accepted into academic summer sessions at community colleges this year. It is unclear how many students would be turned away for the 2010-2011 school year. Sal Flor, former SDSU EOP counselor and current community college counselor knows too well of the complexity of college acceptance and retention in today’s academic economy. An SDSU parent recently asked him for advice regarding her daughter’s academic options. The daughter, a consistent Dean’s List and Magna Cum-Laude prospect student at SDSU, is a Fall 2010 senior and may not be able to graduate by May 2011 due to the negative impact the State’s budget has had on SDSU and subsequently, her department. “First, she should talk to her department advisor. Ask if there are any classes that can be substituted for classes that will no longer be available. Second, she should check with other area colleges to see if there are any classes she can take there that can transfer to SDSU,” Flor said. “Sometimes it may take her professors talking to their professor friends at the other universities to see if there can be some kind of agreement for to allow her to attend the classes at the other universities (she’d have to pay their school fees, as well) and have those units accepted into her major here. If that doesn’t work, unfortunately, she may have to look into transferring into a university that fits her needs - in her senior year.” College entrance advisors strongly suggest that prospective college students, especially transfer students, apply to as many colleges as they possibly can. Even if the student is accepted into the college or university, he/she should have a “Plan B” (as did Stephanie P.) in case he/she is dis-enrolled due to budget cuts OR the school experiences over student enrollment or he/she finds that the major is no longer offered or their department has been cut to the point of uncertainty of whether their major or focus will be offered. Sadly, today’s economic climate and its negative impact on education, at all levels, leave everyone needing a “Plan B”. |